An English Rose
by NightlyBlueDemons
Summary: 'Who is she Jack' Gwen asked, she had always been the one brave enough to question him about his past.' - A short one-shot between Jack and his team.


_Just a short one-shot. Written because I have been wondering what Jack's feelings for Rose would be; after all she did accidently sentenced him to eternal life and yet eternal death at the same time. Would he have thanked her for that?_

_I hope you enjoy._

_Disclaimer – I own nothing._

XoX

With a heavy grunt Ianto Jones hauled a large container onto Toshiko's desk, the team of Torchwood Cardiff looking on curiously.

'Confiscated items from a Mr Fredrick Von Hart' Ianto read from the clipboard he had wedged under his arm.

'Anything interesting?' Gwen Cooper asked, approaching the sealed box.

'Didn't ask' was Ianto's reply as he flicked open the fastenings.

Crowding round the box like kids at Christmas, they couldn't hold in the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as the contents were reviled.

After half an hour of sifting through the items they finally began to reach the bottom of the box.

'Oh my god' Gwen exclaimed as a soft cotton covering fell away from a painting that had been sitting wedged in at the bottom.

All turning they stared at the painting.

It was a portrait of two people, a man and woman. Based on the clothing, Gwen estimated it was painted in the early 18th century. But the reason they were so enthralled, was that the man in the portrait was, undeniably, their very own Captain Jack Harkness.

'How is that possible?' Owen asked, not really expecting an answer.

'I wonder who the woman is?' Toshiko commented, as they continued to stare.

The painted Jack was standing slightly behind a beautiful blonde woman, an unusually sunny smile blossoming across her radiant face. Painted Jack wasn't looking directly forward like her; instead his gaze was trained on the woman, an undeniable look of love in his eyes.

'Lord & Lady Harkness, 1802' Gwen read as she studied the bottom right corner of the painting.

'So Jack was married and a Lord in the 18th century' Owen commented dryly, 'another mystery about his past to add to the list'

'Actually, I wasn't really a Lord' interrupted a voice.

Almost simultaneously they all looked up at their boss who had emerged from his office.

They were all silent as he walked down the grating to have a look at the painting. He surveyed it with a soft smile.

'Who is she Jack?' Gwen asked, she had always been the one brave enough to question him about his past.

'An English Rose' he replied enigmatically, caressing the side of the frame affectionately, 'it's been a long time since I saw this painting'

'How long?' Gwen pressed.

'Where did the box come from?' Jack asked Ianto, apparently ignoring Gwen's question.

'It's the last of the items from the archive of Torchwood 1' Ianto supplied.

'Of course they would have it' he half sighed.

'If you weren't a Lord, was she even your wife?' Owen asked, peeved.

'Well, we never got married on Earth' was Jack's reply, much to Owen's frustration.

'What does that even mean Jack? You never tell us anything!' his voice taking on quite a petulant tone.

Jack seemed distracted when he spoke next, staring deep into the painting as if he were reliving the moments he spoke about.

'It was one of those 'get married or get executed' days. I'd made the mistake of slapping her bum in public, on a planet where even looking at a woman is considered risqué. She found it hilarious' he grinned at the memory.

'We never got our wedding night though' his grin fading, 'things got in the way'

'You mean to tell us there is a woman out there you haven't slept with' Owen commented sarcastically causing Jack to glare at him, fire behind his eyes.

'That doesn't explain the painting' Tosh interrupted, attempting to diffuse the situation.

'We were on holiday' Jack commented in an offhand way, 'she thought it'd be fun'

'On holiday, in the 1802' Ianto clarified.

'Yes' Jack replied, snapping back to his normal chirpy self. Picking up the painting from were it was propped up against a computer monitor, he took it up to his office shutting the door firmly behind him.

His team stared up to his office in shock at his abrupt departure.

'How many times does that happen?' Gwen asked still looking up to where Jack had disappeared.

'What?' Tosh asked her in confusion.

'Just as we think we're getting some information about him, he goes and says something completely ridiculous and shuts us out all over again!' she exclaimed, frustrated.

'There are no records for a Lady Harkness' Tosh replied disappointed, looking up from her monitors.

'Did you really expect to find anything?' Owen asked scornfully as he moved back to his desk.

'It was worth a try' she said, slightly hurt at his tone.

'Look at this' Ianto interrupted them both. In his hands he held a piece of paper he had retrieved from the cotton covering.

It was a short letter on modern lined paper. Ianto read aloud the neat feminine writing for the team.

_My dear Lord Jack Harkness,_

_I caught him trying to throw this out an airlock. Think he's jealous! Keep it safe for me?_

_This is my favourite picture of us, not including the holo-image from Sitari 4._

_All my love,_

_Lady Rose Harkness (still think we should of used Tyler, it sounds better!)_

'Try Rose Tyler, Tosh' Gwen piped up, from where she was looking over Ianto's shoulder at the letter.

'There's a Rose Tyler on the records' Tosh replied almost immediately.

'Not interesting, not interesting' Tosh mumbled as she scrolled through information, 'not interesting….not intere….ooh that's interesting!'

At her exclamation they all looked up in interest, waiting for her to continue.

'Rose Tyler, average life, average schooling, average job. But when she was 19 she disappeared for a year. There are a number of police reports…..her boyfriend at the time was a murder suspect….interviews with her mother; she reappeared according to police records in the company of a Mr John Smith'

'Sounds like a fake name' Owen interjected.

'Then she disappeared off the grid again for another two years' Tosh continued.

'What, completely?' Gwen queried, puzzled.

'Yep, there's not a blip. No credit card traces, cctv footage, nothing, until….'Tosh paused.

'What?' Gwen asked, moving to look over Tosh's shoulder.

'She's on the list of the dead from Torchwood 1' Tosh read, her voice quiet.

'How did she die? What's the autopsy report say?' Owen asked, also coming round to read over Toshiko's shoulder.

'There isn't one' Tosh's fingers flying over the keyboard as she searched, 'There was no body recovered'

Almost the second she spoke, the police report she was reading from suddenly disappeared. A 'file not found' screen replacing what they were just looking at.

'Jack' Gwen said simply, as they watched all the information about Rose Tyler disappear before their eyes.

The man himself then emerged from his office looking down at his staff.

'Who was she Jack?' Gwen asked, 'Who was Rose Tyler?'

Stalking down the stairs he snatched the letter from Ianto's hands, folding and tucking it carefully into his breast pocket.

He didn't say anything for a moment, staring at the floor.

'Jack, please' Gwen pleaded, causing him to look up at her earnest face. She was always so desperate for information.

'She made me the man I am today' he said finally, looking neither happy nor sad at his words, before adding, 'and that is all you need to know. Don't go searching for her again'

With that, he turned and scaled the stairs to his office once again.

'Like I said' Owen piped up after a moment of silence, summing up the thoughts of all, 'one fucking mystery after another'

XoX

_I hope you enjoyed. Please review!_


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